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Rainy conditions cause two traffic mishaps

The rain kept state troopers busy Monday with two separate injury collisions that occurred in the space of less than three hours.

Fogged windows and driving rain were reportedly to blame for the most serious crash, which took place around noon where Burley-Olalla meets State Route 16.

Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Glen Tyrrell said it appears a Tacoma man trying to drive his 1988 Honda Civic across the southbound lanes of State Route 16 en route to Burley at the crossing simply didnt see the car he pulled out in front of.

The 1992 Ford Crown Victoria, driven by a Bremerton man, hit the Civic on the front passenger side.

It was nearly a T-bone, Tyrrell said.

Both drivers suffered minor injuries and were transported to Harrison Hospital.

The second crash at the intersection hit shortly before 3 p.m.

A lone driver rolled her car into the ditch by the side of the highway. Troopers were unclear on the cause of the crash, but assumed she lost control of the car for some reason

Another rollover crash occurred at Sedgwick Road and Banner Road shortly after 3 p.m. when a vehicle went over a 20- to 30-foot embankment.

Luckily, Tyrrell said, the occupant suffered only minor injuries.

Overall though, Tyrrell said, it was a pretty good day considering the weather. The only other crash in the area was a rollover reported at Geiger Road near the Sedgwick interchange around 8:15 Monday morning. The car was abandoned when troopers found it and was listed as stolen.

As of Monday afternoon, the driver had not yet been found.

Tyrrell said the troopers spent most of the day chasing mudslides in Mason County and flooding problems in Kitsap. For most of the day, South Kitsap roads stayed relatively clear thanks to Department of Transportation workers efforts to keep storm drains clear of debris. However, as the tide started to come in around mid-afternoon, the highways around Gorst filled up and the onramp from Tremont Street onto SR 16 had to be closed due to flooding problems.

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